How much creature data do we need to provide. Do we only list the name of the denizen or should be provide statistics for the creature also? DO we need to provide the creature stats in multiple system formats and if so, which ones?

I was going for minimal detail so as to allow maximum flexibility.

Maybe once we're done we could go back and create versions for different systems by adding real stat blocks and items.

Do we want to have an optional level range for the dungeon (to prevent stuffing a epic dragon into room beside a room full of rats?) Do we want to establish a low, mid or high level difficulty expectation for the overall dungeon to help guide creature selection?

Do we want to have an optional level range for the dungeon (to prevent stuffing a epic dragon into room beside a room full of rats?) Do we want to establish a low, mid or high level difficulty expectation for the overall dungeon to help guide creature selection?

...124 to run fleeing from the mountain. ...125 to use a rope to climb the cliff. ...126 to quickly cast "summon stairs." ...127 to dodge under the falling rocks.

pdzoch wrote:

Do we want to have an optional level range for the dungeon (to prevent stuffing a epic dragon into room beside a room full of rats?) Do we want to establish a low, mid or high level difficulty expectation for the overall dungeon to help guide creature selection?

Maybe the dragon prefers rat-on-a-stick and has slaves bred extra large snacks in that room!

As this is most likely a pickup dungeon with minimal continuity impact, it's probably best to generally avoid epic monsters like dragons or giants. Dangerous foes should present alternative approaches beyond just straight fighting, such as bribes, deals, or avoidance via stealth or speed.

This room appears to have once housed the guard force for the fortress. A row of dilapidated bunks line the east wall right up to a musty tapestry on the north wall depicting two ancient warriors engaged in a sword dual. A table and a couple of chairs are tipped over in front of the tapestry. The remnants of weapon racks lay broken along the east wall. Only the rotting wooden hafts of unknown weapons remain.

The ghosts of four soldiers are seen training in the middle of the room under a watchful eye of a fifth ghost overseeing the training and giving silent orders as they go through their drills.

The ghosts ignore the presence of intruders, continuing their daily soldiering duties in silence, unless the intruders draw weapons or threaten the apparitions in any way, which will cause them to attack.

If the party presents the sword from Room S, the ghosts will stop training, one will announce, “We have found your sword, sir!” and the ghost soldiers will disappear. The ghost captain will point to the weapons rack and remain until the sword is returned to the weapons rack. He will attack if the party attempts to leave the room with the sword.

Edit -- For the wandering monster table: Two ghosts from this room can also appear on the wander monster tables as a performing their "assigned patrols."

Room V: The Captain's Hall

The wall in this long hallway once contained a weapons rack which now lays in shambles on the floor. Moldy wooden hafts of various polearms and other weapons are all that remain of the weapons. The wooden remnants of a few heavily damaged shields lay against the wall, all the metals fittings having been removed.

A nook midway down the hall contains a collapsed bed and overturned desk and chair. A metal eater (rust monster) had made a nest of the area. The metal eater, having consumed every bit of metal in this room and the adjoining training barracks (Room T), is hungry and will attack the largest source of metal.

Buried within the metal eater’s nest are the remnants of a chest and its contents of clothes and two potions of healing.

Both: This cavern is bathed in perpetual twilight, never totally dark nor brightly lit. (Illumination attempted is adjusted 1 step appropriately.) Dust hangs in the air as if suspended. The roof of the cavern is bathed in shadows. (A cautious player may attempt to see a small stool and table there.)

90% of the time the chair is occupied by a blackish kobold in dusty sackcloth acting as guard for others. The kobold won't attack unless attacked or if the players are either fleeing or pursuing some complex denizen. The kobold has a dagger, and a belt pouch containing a tin spoon and bowl, all small sized. The kobold won't talk unless seen, and if subjected to stress will forget things and lie. A friendly party can bribe the kobold if they provide enough for the kobold and his family to start a new life. (The kobold knows at least 1 big monster, the very general shape of the caves, and where at least 1 trap is, though not what the trap is.) He's not very smart, but he has a simple life where cunningness has been pounded in.

If combat, he will yell drawing the attention of others. The kobold automatically makes gravity checks due to long practice. Each turn he'll attack the weakest person and possibly jump to the opposite 'floor' to avoid his biggest/most threats. In essence, he delays the party until reinforcements arrive.

Gravity:Walking slowly into the room, players may feel lightweight. Jumping will let them flip and land on the ceiling, with a dexterity or acrobatics roll. Running, runs a risk of accidentally flipping and hitting the ceiling. 50% chance of a 10 ft fall (the room is taller, but the gravity does not flip until partway up). If players are on the ceiling, leaving the room also requires another gravity check.

Complex dwellers know of the odd gravity in this room and will use it to their advantage. (Automatically win initiative, & armor class bonus +1.) Those unfamiliar with this room suffer a -1 to hit on any ranged attacks. Certain players may attempt to convince the GM that they take some of this in stride: cats, swashbucklers.

Assistance from the group -- I'd like to have a skeleton in with a sword somewhere else in the dungeon. The sword would be the captains sword its return would conclude one of the ghost's "unfinished business" and allow it to depart. Can anyone accommodate?

I can fit that in 'S'. Is it also the Captain's skeleton, or could it be the remains of someone else who stole his sword?

Thousands of years ago a young Prince from the time of the angelic Anoros died, and could not be resurrected. This was such a shocking event for a near immortal people that gods and humans came together to honour the prince and provide him with everything he needed for the afterlife. His body was laid on a golden bed and covered in a suit of jade. A sarcophagus of lead covered in plates of jade, held in place with golden nails was made to hold him for all eternity. An army of clay guards, servants and family were buried with the prince to help him to his sure reward. Alas, after chaos claimed the citadel tomb raiders were not far behind. They dug from area P to come up at the northern end of this room, the hole disguised by piles of dirt and broken statues.

The tomb raiders tore apart the sarcophagus, stealing the gold nails and stipping the golden bed. The jade they did not take, for only the king was allowed to buy or sell jade in those days. The body of the prince was left to rot. Just a few years ago, a spirit was drawn to the tomb. It inhabited the body of the prince, rebuilt the tomb from the inside and settled down inside the jade armour to wait...

The 15 feet at the north end of the room is 10 feet lower than the southern end. The tomb is visible as a dust-covered green rectangle within a pit 5 feet lower again. Lying in the dust close to the tomb is a skeleton holding the Captain’s sword from Room T. The rest of the room is uneven dirt floor, with the heads and torsos of clay figures poking out. Ancient spears and swords, and other trinkets can be found by digging down around the guard figures.

Two goblins and a kobold live and work in the northern end and the tunnels below, digging for interesting artefacts to sell to the alchemists in Room W. Karvas fancies himself a serious archaeologist and will have a positive reaction to anyone who shows interests in the ancient history in the room. Brobding just wants to make enough money to get back to his homelands to the south. The kobold Zoborol is ignored by the others until they want something. The goblins make him do most of the work. Zoborol has found and hidden a magical scarab, though he does not know what it does. The white jade scarab protects the owner from all poison, but if later lost the owner suffers the effects of the worst poison they have ever taken. The kobold will sell this for half its value, as long as the goblins don’t catch him doing it.

If someone breaks into the jade sarcophagus (which takes 30 minutes but is otherwise easy to do), the spirit will raise the body of the Anoros Prince in his jade armour to face the intruders. The spirit has gained some of the memories of the Prince, and will act majestically at first. If attacked he will defend himself but not pursue retreating attackers. If he is greeted cordially he will ask to be taken to a priest of Anoros and will appear confused when he realises how much time has passed.

There are 6 openings into this area. Each time the heroes approach, roll d6 to determine the opening at which the Grey Clod is feeding. Number the openings in a clockwise fashion starting with number 1 as the hallway to area H.

Approaching area G:

"A faint light of greenish hue suffuses the air ahead. There is a rank, burning smell rising with every step you take forward."

Looking into area G:

"The floor of this wide cavern is a pool of luminous, phosphorescent green slime! The murky, foul mess bubbles with a noxious fume, surely it cannot be wise to long breathe this gas! At least it provides enough light to dimly illuminate the entire cavern. Tunnels come and go from the area, but there is no safe path untouched by slime between them."

This green slime is a deadly mutant algae. It cannot attack, but it is a deadly poison and hideously corrosive to anything but the native stone. It takes only moments for it to dissolve metal, wood, cloth, or flesh. It is impervious to fire, though it could be frozen. It is particularly viscous, so it does not easily splash.

If the Grey Clod is at the entrance at which the heroes approach;

"Blocking your path forward is a strange creature. It is wide enough to fill the hall, but low slung like a badger, but with a face like a pig. Its hairless, grey hide seems oddly glossy and rubbery. But most surprising is how it lazily slurps up helpings of the green slime! It is oblivious to your appearance seeming more like a grazing animal than a dangerous foe."

If the Grey Clod is at a different entrance from the one the heroes approach;

"Across the chamber and coming from one of the openings, you hear sloppy slurping noises. Craning your necks, you see a strange pig like beast across the slime pool from you. It is wide and low. Is it grazing on this mess?!"

The creature is a relatively harmless beast known as a Grey Clod. It is immune to the slime. Indeed it finds the slime a good source of food! It is only of animal intelligence and low at that. If attacked it will squeal loudly, possibly alerting denizens of nearby areas. It will move through the slime to avoid injury. The pool is not deeper than half its height.

Characters could try to ride the beast from entrance to entrance; it is large ebough to support two people at a time safely. It is up to the party to determine how they might lure it to their opening or guide it to another. If it were killed and skinned, perhaps a raft could be fashioned from the hide, but it would be very difficult, time consuming, and loud.

"The fractured stone of these caverns widens a bit here. Cracks and crevasses must reach nearly to the surface and continue into the depths for there is a constant trickle of water flowing from above, pooling briefly in spots here, and running off below. This flow has brought with it a fair amount of detritus and plant matter, which has gathered into rotting heaps about the chamber. The passage continues on."

There are 2d3 heaps here. If the party should leave this level and later return, add a new unsearched heap to the mess each week, though there will never be more than 6. The heaps are all filthy, disgusting messes of rotting material; characters searching the mess come away soiled and smelly. Until cleaned up, this may affect their social interactions.

If the heaps are searched, roll to determine what is found in them. Even numbered results can only be found once, so when they are discovered a second time replace the entry with nothing of value;

1: d4 miniature mushroom men budding from the mass fight to defend it (treat as giant rats)2: A crystal globe the shows the Citadel as it was in ages past3: A tightly sealed ceramic bottle of aromatic, flammable oil (10gp)4: A Dwarven rune stone inscribed in ancient Runic text "Remember"5: 2d12 silver coins in a rotting pouch. They are of very ancient minting.6: A broken sword hilt with a large pommel of gold (150gp)7: A diseased animal carcass that may contaminate the searcher8: A badly bent and crushed silver diadem set with moonstones (200gp)9: An animated skeleton wielding a club. It will regenerate from any damage unless blessed after it falls.10: A tightly sealed bone scroll tube containing a magical scroll (GM should choose the spell)11: A venomous snake, large and aggressive12: A small, strange, silver cup with a faint, holy aura (if wine is drunk from it, heals one die of damage, 12 charges)

"Blocking your path forward is a strange creature. It is wide enough to fill the hall, but low slung like a badger, but with a face like a pig. Its hairless, grey hide seems oddly glossy and rubbery. But most surprising is how it lazily slurps up helpings of the green slime! It is oblivious to your appearance seeming more like a grazing animal than a dangerous foe."

If the Grey Clod is at a different entrance from the one the heroes approach;

"Across the chamber and coming from one of the openings, you hear sloppy slurping noises. Craning your necks, you see a strange pig like beast across the slime pool from you. It is wide and low. Is it grazing on this mess?!"

The creature is a relatively harmless beast known as a Grey Clod. It is immune to the slime. Indeed it finds the slime a good source of food! It is only of animal intelligence and low at that. If attacked it will squeal loudly, possibly alerting denizens of nearby areas. It will move through the slime to avoid injury. The pool is not deeper than half its height.

If you look closely at the map, there is a short corridor leading nowhere from section G. If the tunnel to H is 1 on a Room G clock, it would be the 6. I had had a lair there for the Grey Clod with treasure, but the entry was getting kinda long and unfocused; it's probably sufficient to frustrate heroes with a blind hallway, but it could hold whatever you want I guess.